Amazon Studios announced that production is commencing this week on its next two pilots — dramedy “The Cosmopolitans” from Whit Stillman and hour-long drama “Hand of God” — which will debut on the Internet retailer’s site later in 2014 for public feedback as part of its third pilot season.
“The Cosmoplitans,” written, directed and produced by Stillman (“Metropolitan,” “Barcelona,” “The Last Days of Disco”), follows a group of young American expats in Paris. “Hand of God,” starring Ron Perlman (“Sons of Anarchy”) as a judge who seeks revenge with the assistance of voices from a higher power, is helmed by Marc Forster (“Monster’s Ball,” “World War Z”) and written by Ben Watkins.
Amazon Studios said it will announce additional pilots to join those two in the coming weeks. As with its first two pilot waves, any Amazon users will again be able to watch, rate and comment on which shows they’d like to see picked up as full series, which will then become available on Prime Instant Video.
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Half-hour pilot “The Cosmopolitans,” which begins shooting this week in Paris, stars Adam Brody, Chloë Sevigny, Carrie MacLemore, Dree Hemingway, Freddy Åsblom, Shaun Evans and Adriano Giannini.
“Hand of God” begins shooting this week in the Los Angeles and Long Beach areas. Perlman portrays Judge Pernell Harris, a married man with a high-end call girl on the side, who suffers a mental breakdown and goes on a vigilante quest to find the rapist who tore his family apart — relying on messages he believes God is sending through his ventilator-bound son. Forster, Watkins, Perlman, Brian Wilkins and Jeff King serve as exec producers, with Jillian Kugler as co-executive producer.
Pilot also stars Dana Delany as the Judge’s protective wife, Garret Dillahunt, Andre Royo, Alona Tal, Julian Morris, Elizabeth McLaughlin, and Emayatzy Corinealdi as Pernell’s call girl-confidante.
SEE ALSO: Amazon Greenlights 6 Series, Including Chris Carter’s ‘The After,’ and Renews ‘Alpha House’
Amazon Studios’ first two original series, “Alpha House” and “Betas,” debuted last fall on Prime Instant Video, and the company announced last week that it renewed John Goodman-starrer “Alpha House” for a second season. Out of 10 pilots in its second wave, Amazon greenlit four new primetime series — Chris Carter’s “The After,” “Bosch,” “Transparent” and “Mozart in the Jungle” — along with two new children’s series, “Gortimer Gibbon’s Life of Normal Street” and “Wishenpoof!” Those series will be available on Prime Instant Video later in 2014 or early 2015.
